The present invention relates to a removable food processing tool support system for home appliances comprising a motor base and a food preparing container or jug, such as blenders, food processors, grinders and other similar apparatus.
The food processing tool of appliances such as blenders rotates at high speeds, up to 20 000 rpm. In this kind of appliances the food processing tool is secured to a rotary axle mounted on the container""s or jug""s bottom and the container or jug is secured removable on the motor base.
Appliances comprising a container or jug including a removable food processing tool support are already known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,176 or FR 1 329 312 disclose a blender jug adapted to be detachably placed on a motor base. A cutter holder is detachably secured in a bottom portion of the blender container, by screw thread means. The cutter holder supports a bearing holding the middle part of a shaft comprising at its upper extremity a cutter and at its lower extremity a coupling able to be driven by the output motor axle of the motor housing. As blenders often comprise a jug having a narrow bottom, the removal of the food processing tool support from the container makes the cleaning of the jug and of the portion around the blades of the food processing tool easier.
However in this kind of appliances, the removal of the food processing tool support by unscrewing is very often considered as not practical. Considerable physical force can be required or some delicate parts are prone to break. On the other side, the reassembling of the support by screwing on the container cannot be very easy, due to a support comprising several parts and due to the fact that the thread entrance cannot be seen when engaging the support.
Additionally, the sealing used in connection with screwed support proves to be fairly inefficient, either due to the fact that the support was not screwed far enough, or to the fact that the sealing ring is quickly damaged when the support is screwed regularly too tight.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a removable food processing tool support system for home appliances of the blender, food processor or grinder type, comprising a container or jug and a food processing tool support assembly, allowing an easy removal of the support assembly from a static container or an easy removal of the container from a static support assembly.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a removable food processing tool support system for said home appliances having an efficient sealing to avoid leaks.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a removable food processing tool support system for said home appliances including safety means.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a removable food processing tool support system for home appliances allowing a complete cleaning of the interior of the apparatus"" container as well as of the food processing tools parts of the support assembly.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an efficient removable food processing tool support system for home appliances, but yet fairly easy and cheap to manufacture.
These objectives can be achieved with a food processing appliance able to be mounted on a separate base including an electric motor to form an electrical appliance from the type blender or food processor, comprising a container able to be mounted on said base, said container being associated with a food processing tool support assembly having a support removably secured in an opening provided in the bottom of said container, a rotary axle being mounted through said support, said axle bearing at one of its extremities an engaging element able to be driven by the electric motor when said container is mounted on said base and at the other of its extremities a food processing tool, wherein the container comprises locking means moving in a plane transverse to the axis of the food processing tool to engage (a) conformation(s) of the tool support in correspondence when said tool support has been engaged axially in the container and brought to bear against a support area provided around the container opening, said locking means being actionable by a control button mounted on the container, or reverse, the tool support comprising the control button and the locking means engaging a conformation(s) of the container, said container being engaged axially on the tool support.
The moving of the locking means in a plane transverse to the axis of the tool can not only be a radial translation towards and away from said axis, but also a rotating movement of an arm or of a pair of arms forming a tweezers, or any other combination of rotation and translation.
Thus the removal of the food processing tool support assembly from the container as well as the placement of re-installation of said support assembly on said container are very simple, thanks to the fast and safe coupling system, always guaranteeing the correct position of the food processing tool support. For removing the tool support, it suffice to act on the button to disengage it axially; and, to install the tool support cleaned or equipped with an other type of tool, like an ice crusher, it suffice to push it axially so that it bears against the container support and to act on the control button.
Incidentally, and in co-operation, the locks conformation(s) is/are positioned so that there is an effective right seal between the tool support and the container, an eventual sealing O-ring being always properly squeezed, neither to tight, nor to loose.
According to a first kind of embodiment, the locking means are provided on the container. Alternatively, according to a second kind of embodiment, the locking means are provided on the support assembly.
According to a type of embodiment, the control button is moveable between a locked position in which the locking means are able to hold the tool support against the support area and a released position in which the locking means are able to release the tool support from the support area.
According to a preferred type of embodiment the control button is mounted against elastic return means able to bias the locking means and said control button into the locked position.
Advantageously, the opening is circular, the support area being ring-shaped, the corresponding part of the tool support being also ring-shaped, and the conformation(s) of the tool support, or reverse the conformation(s) of the container, in which engage the locking means, is/are (an) annular groove(s). Thus no specific angular orientation would be required. Such a construction eases the positioning of the support assembly into the container. However, the friction forces at the contact area between the tool support and the container support area prevent the tool support from turning when the motor drives the tool in rotation.
Advantageously a sealing ring is provided between the support area and the tool support. This simple and efficient sealing system avoids furthermore the leakage of water and other liquids contained inside the container. Preferably, this sealing ring is mounted on the food processing tool support assembly or on the support area of the container.
According to a first specific embodiment, the locking means are made by three locks, or tongues, regularly spaced around the periphery of the conformation(s).
An example of embodiment can comprise an annular button mounted on the lower face of the tool support around the bearing, the external periphery of said annular button having three regularly spaced cams provided for pushing respectively in an radial outward direction locks mounted on one extremity of arm of which other extremity is mounted rotary on the tool support against an elastic means. The container presents then an annular groove arranged at the same level that of the locks when the tools support is correctly pushed against the support area of the container.
In a preferred realisation of the first embodiment, locking means comprise a belt surrounding the opening provided in the bottom of the container, said belt having a rectilinear length able to co-operate with the control button, a lock being provided at the opposite of said length, two arms of a pincers projecting from said rectilinear length, a lock being provided at the free end of each arm, said locking means being able to enter in the conformation(s).
According to a second specific embodiment, locking means are provided on the container and comprise a locking plate having an aperture formed by a first hole, whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of a reduced cylindrical body of the tool support, and a second hole, whose diameter is larger than the diameters of said cylindrical body and of an engaging element of the tool support assembly.
Advantageously thus, the reduced cylindrical body is provided between a conic body of the tool support and the engaging element, said conic body being able to fit in a through conical hole provided in the bottom of the container.
According to a third specific embodiment, locking means comprise a tweezers composed of a pair of arms rotating in a plane transverse to the axle, the outer extremity of each arm being attached in a rotary manner to the periphery of an holding ring, the middle part being shaped as curved slanted locks, the inner extremity showing a slanted front forming, with the slanted front of the other arm, a V-shape, and the holding ring comprises a pair of spring knives, each of them pressing inwardly on the inner extremity of an arm.
In a preferred realisation of the third embodiment, a sliding activating rod is arranged in front of the tweezers, said sliding rod being extended outside the base of the container by said control button, said sliding rod presenting a triangular edge bearing on the slanted on the front of each arm of lock.
Advantageously, the electrical appliance also comprises retaining means able to prevent any displacement of the control button from the locked position when the container is mounted on the motor base. Therefore any removal of the support assembly from the container can be prevented as long as the container remains on the motor base. The retaining means can be provided either on the motor base or on the container.
These objectives can also be achieved according to a fourth specific embodiment with a food processing appliance able to be mounted on a separate base including an electric motor to form an electrical appliance from the type blender, food processor or grinder, comprising a food processing tool support assembly mounted on said base, said support assembly having a rotary axle mounted through said support, said axle bearing at one of its extremities an engaging element able to be driven by the electric motor when said support assembly is mounted on said base and at the other of it extremities a food processing tool; and a container having an opening with an edge able to be mounted on said support assembly, wherein the edge of said opening of the container is maintained against a support area provided around the tool support by locking means mounted on the support assembly and engaging in an approximately radial direction (a) conformation(s) of the container, said locking means being actionable by a control button mounted on the support assembly.
According to a type of embodiment, the control button is moveable between a locked position in which the locking means are able to hold the container against the support area and a released position in which the locking means are able to release the container from the support area.
Advantageously, the opening is circular, the support area being ring-shaped, the corresponding part of the container being also ring-shaped, and the conformation(s) of the container, in which engage the locking means, is/are (an) annular groove(s).
Advantageously a sealing ring forming the support area is provided in the food processing tool support assembly.
Advantageously, the electrical appliance also comprises retaining means able to prevent any displacement of the control button from the locked position when the support assembly is mounted on the motor base. Therefore any removal of the container from the support assembly can be prevented as long as the support assembly remains on the motor base. The retaining means can be provided either on the motor base or on the support assembly.